Flush tank inlet valve



Oct. 11, 1960 s. M. was 2,955,672

FLUSH TANK INLET VALVE Filed Sept. 15, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Jamzoe/M..Xdo1ifl .QZA 24 2a ATTORNEYS.

Oct. 11, 1960 s. M. KASS 2,955,672

FLUSH TANK INLET VALVE Filed Sept. 15, 1956 2 Sheat-Shet 2 ATTORNEYS United States Patent O FLUSH TANK INLET VALVE Samuel M. Kass, 1836 Market St., Philadelphia 3, Pa. Filed Sept. 13, 1956, Ser. No. 609,667

1 Claim. (Cl. 181-49) The present invention relates to flush tank inlet valves for toilets.

A purpose of the invention is to minimize the noise in flushing a flush tank.

A further purpose is to reduce the danger of increase of friction in an inlet valve due to corrosion and bind mg.

A further purpose is to permit observation of the functioning of a flush tank inlet valve.

A further purpose is to reduce the noise in tripping of a flush tank inlet valve.

Further purposes appear in the specification and in the claim.

In the drawings I have chosen to illustrate one only of the numerous embodiments in which my invention may appear, selecting the form shown from the standpoints of convenience in illustration, satisfactory operation and clear demonstration of the principles involved.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation, partly in axial section, of the flush tank valve of the invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary front elevation of the valve of Figure l in closed position.

Figure 3 is a view corresponding to Figure 2 with the valve in open position.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary top plan view of the valve of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing the valve body and casing in axial section.

Figure 7 is a section on the line 77 of Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a section on the line 8-8 of Figure 6.

Difficulty has long been encountered with flush tank inlet valves because of the noise incident to operation.

The noise factor has been increased and the functioning of such valves has been impaired in the past due to corrosion which causes binding or partial binding, increasing the frictional drag and impairing operation.

Difficulty has also been encountered through leakage or dripping of flush tank inlet valves.

The present invention is concerned with a flush tank inlet valve which is extremely silent as compared to prior art inlet Valves. The invention also produces an inlet valve which is less subject to corrosion and not likely to bind after long periods of inactivity.

The invention likewise provides a valve which is capable of serving for long periods of time without leaking or dripping.

Considering the drawings in detail, I illustrate an inlet mounting flange 20 having a male thread 21 adapted to receive the clamping nut which holds the flange against the bottom of the flush tank as well known, and having a female thread 22 which mates with the threaded upstanding inlet pipe 23, well known in the art. The inlet pipe is preferably provided with a U-shaped metallic spring silencer 24, the U having a base 25 which extends across the interior bore 26 within the thread 21 and having suitable longitudinally extending arms 27 and in- 2,955,672 Patented Oct. 11, 1960 teriorly convexly deformed arcuate arm ends 28 which do not meet at 30 but resiliently engage the interior of the pipe at spaced points 31 and 32.

The effect is to prevent violent flow and reduce the sound of water flow. The principles of the invention are, however, advantageously to be applied where desired without using this silencer, since the other features of the invention themselves reduce the sound.

At the top of the pipe 23 there is a male thread 33 which is engaged within a female threaded inlet connection 34 of a valve housing 35. The valve housing is suitably a block of transparent plastic, preferably methyl methacrylate (Plexiglas or Lucite) which has the advatnage that it can function as a housing to deaden vibration and noise and fail to transmit noise generated by valve operation into the pipe which might otherwise operate as a sounding device. Other transparent organic plastics such as urea-formaldehyde may be used for the housing. Also engagement between the organic plastic valve housing and the suitably metallic valve body does not generate noise as is the case when metallic elements are used throughout. 7

Thus the housing contributes greately to reducing the noise of operation.

The housing has the further advantages that it is not subject to freezing by corrosion against metallic parts and frictional drag does not occur which is likely to cause abrupt and noisy operation of the valve. The frictional drag of the valve suitably remains the same whether the valve is new or has been in operation for a considerable time.

The valve housing has a suitably cylindrical longitudinal bore of small size in the inlet at 36, and a coaxial cylindrical bore of larger size 37 at the opposite end, the bores connecting by a valve seat supporting shoulder 38 which is suitably above the threaded inlet 34.

The valve seat shoulder receives a suitably conical seat washer 40 of well known type such as rubber or fiber which desirably has an interior valve opening 41 of the same size as the bore 36. The washer is held in place by a force fit.

A valve body 42 suitably of generally cylindrical form reciprocates in the bore 37 and carries at its lower end a valve element 43, desirably interconnected therewith by a force fit in socket 44. The valve element and valve body are desirably of stainless steel or bronze. The valve element desirably has a lower conical end 45 which 00- operates with an in seating position engages and seals against the seat 40.

The valve body intermediate between its ends has an annular recess 46 which receives a suitably rubber elastomer O-ring 47 which is compressed between the annular recess and the cylindrical bore and seals against leakage while permitting the valve body to reciprocate.

The valve body at its lower end is recessed annularly at 48 top rovide annular clearance from the bore and the valve element is similarly of reduced diameter, so that when the valve element is in open position as shown in Figure 6 there is ample room for flow into discharge port 50 which makes threaded connection at 51 with downwardly directed discharge pipe 52, as well known.

At a transverse position to the discharge port 50 there is a threaded connection to a refilling pipe fitting 53 of well known character which discharges through a refilling tube 54 which connects into the top of the overflow pipe of the flush tank, as well known in the art.

The valve body is suitably resiliently downwardly urged by any suitable means, here shown as a leaf spring 55 secured to the valve housing as by screw 56 and bent at 57 to extend across the top of the housing. At the end the spring is bent back and forth several times at 58 suitably to provide threaded engagement with adjustment screw 60 which engages the top of the body and can be advanced or retracted to vary the spring pressure on the top of the valve body.

The present invention is not concerned with the detail of'operation of the valve body by float means as well known, the form of float operation being merely one typical illustration. In the form shown, the valve body has annular gear recesses 61 which are engaged by the teeth 62 on a segment mounted in a, slot 63 in the housing and pivoting on pin 64 extending across the housing at the slot. The segment has a shank 65 provided with female threads which make threaded engagement with a float rod 66 suitably provided at the opposite end with a float which may in this case be an incandescent electric light bulb mounted in a screw socket 68 on the outer end of the float arm. In operation, the valve is urged toward closure by the float, supplemented by the spring, the spring pressure being, of course, insuflicient to close the valve unless the water level is high enough to raise the float. The spring pressure merely counterweights the float arm.

When the water level is high enough, the valve moves to closed position against the seat and water flow is out 01f; Due to the fact that the body is of plastic, the noise generated by closing the valve is damped and not transmitted to the piping.

1 After the tank'is flushed and the water level lowers, the valve opens, but in so doing, noise is minimized as the housing avoids generation of noise when the valve body opens, and damps any noise which may be generated. At the same time, the rush of inlet water is silenced'by the silencer 24.

In view of my invention and disclosure variations and modifications to meet individual whim or particular need will doubtless become evident to others skilled in the art, to obtain all or part of the benefits'ot my invention without copying the structure shown, and I, therefore, claim all such insofar as they fall within the reasonable spirit and scope of my claim.

Having thus described my-invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A hydraulic sound reducing device comprising a pipe, 21 flange connected to the pipe having a greater bore than the bore of the pipe, a U-shaped strip of smaller width than the diameter of the pipe extending in the bore of the flange, with the arms of the U extending in the pipe, said portions of said arms extending in the pipe being of interiorly convexly deformed arcuate shape and resiliently engaging the interior of said pipe.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 950,946 Muhl Mar. 1, 1910 1,235,517 Gross July 13, 1917 1,579,140 Phillips Mar. 30, 1926 1,693,975 Cordley Dec. 4, 1928 1,805,537 Allan May 19, 1931 2,089,223 Peterson et a1 Aug. 10, 1937. 2,295,774 Corydon Sept. 15, 1942 2,333,036 Orndortf Oct. 26, 1943 2,372,848 Owens Apr. 3, 1945 2,473,103 Lathers June 14, 1949 2,524,699 Friedl Oct. 3, 1950 2,619,122 Hunter Nov. 25, 1952 2,628,062 Weber Feb. 10, 1953 2,684,830 Stephany July 27, 1954 2,701,119 Smith Feb. 1, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 361,286 France Mar. 28, 1906 694,242 France Sept. 15, 1930 

